Tennessee football: Five concerning signs from Jeremy Pruitt’s second year with Vols

2. No wins over ranked teams

There’s a clear reason Tennessee football finished with two more wins in the 2019 regular season than the 2018 regular season. They played two fewer teams who would finish the year in the top 25 or with a winning record. It’s actually pretty simple. As a result, you have to question if the Vols are actually heading in the right direction or if Jeremy Pruitt just cashed in on an easier schedule.

In fact, with four non-conference games at home and no teams from Power Five conferences, it’s seen by many as a disappointment that UT didn’t finish 9-3 in the regular season. Most importantly, the Vols didn’t beat any Power Five team who finished the year with more than eight wins. They didn’t beat any ranked team.

Their best win when it comes to record is over the 9-5 UAB Blazers. Second and third were the Kentucky Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers, who each finished with eight wins. Third and fourth were the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Missouri Tigers, who each had six wins. Neither finished the year above .500, so you have to question how impressive this run was.

Now, the positive is that this team clearly improved over the course of the season. Kentucky and Missouri on the road were no small tasks. UT was UK’s only loss after Oct. 19 as well. So there are things worth touting. But the wins on paper don’t look as impressive as they seemed in the moment, so Pruitt still will have a lot to prove going into this year.